Resources and Tools

In the recent Institute of Physics Report on A level take up and gender bias a few schools showed how with strategic effort they could successfully tackle gender imbalance in progression in A levels. Cheney School, a mixed, state-funded school in Oxford, stood out in the study. A key starting point is a thorough analysis of the statistics and a whole school approach to tackling gender stereotyping.

I am a governor of a local secondary school and on a recent visit I noticed that the majority of students in the 'textiles' class were female and the majority of pupils in the 'resistant materials' class were male. What can I do to encourage the school to challenge gender stereotypes at option choice?

Governmental links

They are grouped under the different Equality and Diversity strands or headings, e.g. gender, BME, faith, etc. The majority of resources are listed as 'cross-strand' in line with the inclusivity policy of the E and D toolkit.

‘Most of the girls in my Year 10 maths class tell me they won't continue with mathematics beyond 16 …they say they are not clever enough. While not many are expected to get A* or A grades, most will attain A*-C. How do I challenge this perception that maths is for very clever boys? How can I show them that it's not just for nerds?’

Advice

‘The families of many of my pupils have many life issues to face - and the school is in a very deprived area with high rates of unemployment and social deprivation. I think the school needs to work with families if we are going to support our pupils to study STEM beyond 16. But how do we do that?’